Bonds of Blood, Ties of Friendship
by Skylark Starflower
Summary: Zane engages in a series of dialogues with the others on the subject of family.
1. Kai

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago. I'm just taking the characters out for a spin because it's fun. Hah, spin. You get it!? I'm funny!

Don't really have anything to say about this. It's a series of short stories set in chronological order, in which Zane talks to the other characters about things to do with family. This chapter takes place at some point between the two pilot episodes. That's all.

" **Bonds of Blood, Ties of Friendship"  
Started Dec 24** **th** **2015**

Chapter One: Kai

Zane paced the monastery walkway, agitated. It wasn't long after the disaster at the mine, when Kai had screwed up everything. He was usually fairly even tempered, but he just couldn't shake the irritation. Perhaps it wasn't his place to lead the team – that job fell to Cole – but he still took the safety of the team to heart. When one teammate disobeyed the rules, they all suffered for it. Someone could have been hurt, or worse.

So caught up in his frustration, Zane didn't notice the other ninja until he almost ran into him. Pulling up short, he gave Kai an annoyed look. Kai returned it in kind.

"You got a problem, snow cone?" Kai grunted.

"I do, actually," Zane started, but Kai didn't give him a chance to continue.

Throwing up his arms in a rage, Kai yelled, "Geez, not you, too! I just got finished listening to Cole rant for like an hour! What IS it with you guys!?"

"Do you have an issue with the safety of the team?" questioned Zane.

"What team? Who said I wanted to be part of a team? I just want to rescue my sister and go back home."

"And you figure the best way to do that is by endangering yourself and those around you?"

"Hey, no one asked you to join me. I could have done it on my own."

Zane didn't reply right away. It was difficult to get him truly angry, but something about Kai triggered his temper. Still, he bit back his retort and took a moment to think about the situation. "And if you hadn't? What then?"

"Yeah, that's what Cole said, too," grumbled Kai.

"Then perhaps you should listen to him."

"Whatever."

Zane narrowed his eyes. "I can imagine what Cole must have said. Did he suggest that, were you to be hurt or killed, you wouldn't be able to take care of your sister anymore?"

"I'm not stupid! I know that!"

"Did you ever think about who would?"

That brought Kai up short. He spluttered angrily for a moment before falling silent. It was clear to Zane that Kai hadn't even considered the question until now. The sight of Kai unable to hide his panic actually managed to calm Zane down.

"Your heart is in the right place, Kai, but you need to use your head a bit more."

Kai just grumbled in response and started to stalk off. For a moment, Zane was content to just watch him leave, but something changed his mind. Taking quick strides, he caught up to the fire ninja.

"Kai?"

"What?"

"Tell me about your sister."

Kai stopped and turned to face Zane, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

Zane shrugged. "I do not know your sister, so I do not feel as fervently about her rescue as you do. Don't misunderstand, I will still help because it is the right thing to do, but perhaps if I knew more about her, it would help." And, Zane suspected, it could help strengthen their team bond, but he didn't say that aloud.

Kai mulled this over for a moment, studying Zane. So far, he really hadn't taken the time to get to know the others. Jay seemed interesting, but he could be so childish sometimes. Cole spent too much time yelling at him. Zane had initially struck him as standoffish, yet here he was, trying to engage him in conversation.

"Okay, why not?" he said finally.

The two sat down on the monastery stairs. An awkward silence fell, Zane waiting for Kai to start. Finally, Kai let out a breath and slapped his knees.

"I don't know where to start," he said. "I mean, Nya's… just Nya. She's my little sister and the only family I have left in the world. After our father passed away, it became my job to look after her." Kai's expression became fierce as he stared at the ground. "And a fine job I've been doing of it so far."

"It's not your fault," said Zane, placing a hand on Kai's shoulder. "You can't blame yourself for the actions of others."

"Yeah, right." Kai sighed. "To be honest, I kinda thought Nya might have been able to free herself by now. She was always the one who excelled in martial arts. Until now, all I really knew were swords."

Zane nodded. "She would have sought you out by now if that were the case, so it does stand to reason Samukai still has her."

Kai clenched his fist. "He's gonna pay for that."

"Yes," agreed Zane. "But don't forget to let us help."

"If you can keep up with me, sure."

Zane's expression became unreadable. Kai frowned. "Hey, if it were your sister in trouble, you can't tell me you wouldn't do the same."

"I…" Zane trailed off. He actually couldn't tell Kai anything of the sort. He didn't even know if he had a sister, let alone how he would react if she were in danger. He would like to believe he would do the right thing and trust the team to help, but he really didn't know. "I can't say that I would."

"Geez, Zane. Really?"

Zane blinked at the hostile response. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"Are you seriously telling me you wouldn't do everything in your power to rescue a family member?"

"No, I am saying that until I had knowledge of a family member that has been kidnapped, I do not know how I would react."

"Are you always this… calculating?"

"I do not know what you mean."

"Don't you ever do anything without thinking it through, first? No spur of the moment reactions at all? You're like a machine, cold and practical to a fault."

Zane was hurt by Kai's accusation, but after thinking it over for a moment, he realised Kai wasn't wrong. "Not that I can remember, no."

Kai smirked. "Well, give it a try sometime, okay?" He slapped Zane on the shoulder before getting to his feet and running off, presumably off to wherever he had been heading beforehand.

Zane watched him go, feeling more confused than anything. He wasn't sure if he'd gotten through to Kai or not. He supposed only time would tell.


	2. Jay

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago.

Jay's turn this time around. Takes place shortly after Snakebit. I kinda want to write a little spin-off based on Jay's offer towards the end of this chapter, because it would be funny and adorable. We'll see what happens.

Chapter Two: Jay

Zane was awakened by the soft sound of whimpering. At first, he wasn't sure what was causing it. He could almost believe it was the wind blowing through the cracks of the ship. As the sound grew louder, he realised it was a voice.

He glanced across the room, as it was evident the sound wasn't coming from above and as such, didn't belong to Kai. Cole was sleeping soundly, so Zane glanced downwards. Jay wasn't nearly so calm.

The blue ninja was cuddling his golden weapon like a teddy bear and tossing back and forth, moaning and whining. Occasionally, something that sounded like words escaped him, but they were too garbled to be intelligible.

At first, Zane didn't know what to do. It was evident Jay was having a nightmare, but he wasn't sure if he should try to wake him. As it turned out, he didn't need to worry, as Jay suddenly snapped awake with a short scream.

Though Zane knew what was going on, he wasn't expecting the scream, and he jumped, cracking his forehead against the upper bunk. Kai grumbled something, but didn't wake. Cole never even reacted to either the scream or the bang.

Rubbing his sore forehead, Zane watched Jay for a moment. The blue ninja sat up in his bunk, now cradling his golden weapon as a sort of emotional support, trying not to cry. Whatever his dream had been about, it certainly bothered him.

"Jay?" Zane tried not to startle Jay or wake the others, but he failed on the first count. Jay jumped, wiping quickly at his eyes in an attempt to hide the fact that he'd been crying.

"Zane?" he replied. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"It's okay," said Zane. "Are you all right? You were having a nightmare."

"It's fine. I'm fine. Don't worry about it," replied Jay quickly. It was evident by his tone that Jay didn't really want to discuss it, but Zane didn't take the hint.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Jay snapped. He winced. "Sorry."

"It's alright. Goodnight."

"'Night."

Jay lay back down and was soon snoring softly. Zane, meanwhile, lay awake, wondering what could be so bad about Jay's dream that he wouldn't want to talk about it. He always seemed to want to talk about everything else. He wasn't going to pry, though. If Jay really didn't want to discuss it, then that was that.

Zane rolled over onto his side and tried to get back to sleep, but found he couldn't. Sighing, he found himself wishing the falcon would show up again so he could at least have someone to talk to. It was strange that the strongest connection he felt to anything was to that bird. Pushing those thoughts aside, he tried to sleep.

He was interrupted once more as Jay began to whimper again. He'd known the others to have bad dreams before – even he'd been beset by them at one point or another – but two in one night seemed a little odd, even for Jay.

This time he didn't hesitate. Getting up, he made his way over to Jay's bunk. Carefully, he reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. Jay snapped awake immediately, letting out a frightened gasp. Still caught up in the dream, he dropped his weapon and startled Zane by grabbing him into a tight hug, trembling. Zane didn't know what else to do, so he just patted Jay on the back until the blue ninja came to his senses.

"What the – hey!" Without thinking, Jay pushed Zane away. Zane fell back, but he caught himself before he was hurt. Once Jay had calmed down and realised what he'd done, he looked appropriately ashamed of himself. "Sorry."

"Jay, is something bothering you?" Zane asked.

"What are you talking about?" replied Jay, his voice growing shrill as it tended to do when Jay was stressed. "I'm fine! Don't I seem fine?"

"Not really, no."

Jay deflated. "Okay, you got me. But I don't want to talk about it."

"Are you sure? What's bothering you may be the source of your nightmares."

At first, Jay just stared at him, brows creased angrily, and Zane knew he was right. The look of concern on Zane's face was enough to change Jay's mind. Heaving a sigh, he gestured for Zane to sit down with him. He began to talk as Zane joined him.

"I'm worried about my parents," he admitted.

Zane's expression became quizzical. "Why is that? We stopped the Fangpyre and restored your parents to normal. They should be fine."

"I know that! But what if we hadn't been in time? What if it happens again? What if someone tries to use them to get to me for some reason?"

Jay was clearly upset, but Zane didn't know how to reply. He tried to think how he would feel if his own parents were in trouble, but being unable to remember them, he couldn't really wrap his mind around an answer. He had no idea why he'd left home in the first place. Maybe his parents were monsters and he was better off without them, but he had no way of knowing for sure. He knew he needed to say something to calm Jay down, though.

"There's not much we can do about 'what ifs'. We will just have to deal with things as they come and hope for the best."

Zane could tell by the unimpressed expression Jay fixed him with that what he said was the wrong thing.

"You're not very good at reassuring people, you know," Jay said flatly.

Zane dropped his gaze, ashamed. "Sorry."

Jay sighed. "It's okay, you're trying." He was silent for a moment. "How do you deal with it?"

"Deal with what?"

"Not knowing about your family. It must be driving you crazy."

"It is vexing, I admit. I don't know where they are, or if they're in trouble. They may be dead for all I can remember."

Jay was horrified. "How can you say something like that so calmly!?"

Zane shrugged, his expression a mix of confusion and distress. "I don't remember anything about my family. What they looked like, their names, if I … if I cared about them … There's nothing there, Jay. It is… difficult to feel anything for people I can't remember."

Jay didn't reply, the look on his face absolutely heartbreaking. Zane could tell his friend was trying once again not to cry.

"I've upset you. I'm sorry."

"Geez, Zane! You've got nothing to apologize for!" Jay fidgeted as though he was conflicted about something. After a moment, he made his decision, startling Zane by wrapping his arms around him and pulling him into his second hug of the night. "If it'll help, you can be an honorary member of my family. My parents like you, I'm sure they won't mind."

Zane didn't know how to react. An awkward smile crossed his face, but he didn't push Jay away. He didn't know what to make of the offer. "Jay…"

"No, no arguments! Until you find your own family, my parents are now also your parents. You're stuck with us."

Zane let out a weak laugh. "Okay, if I must."

"You're the little brother, though. I always wanted a little brother. Come 'ere!" Jay pulled Zane down into a sudden headlock, giving him a noogie.

"Hey!" Zane easily wriggled out of Jay's grasp. He turned to give Jay an annoyed look, but stopped short when he noticed the happy grin plastered across Jay's face. Somehow the conversation had gotten turned around on him, but he'd accomplished what he had set out for. Jay seemed to be feeling much better. It would be wrong of him to refuse his offer now.

Zane couldn't help the small smile that crossed his face. Jay tended to have that effect on people. Somehow, he had the ability to make the others feel better, even when he was the one having the problem in the first place.

"So, you are feeling better now?" Zane asked, trying to get back to the original topic. Jay fixed him with a confused look for a moment before he figured out what Zane was talking about.

"A little. I mean, I'm still going to worry, but that's inevitable. I can't let that drag me down, though." Jay's face split with a huge grin. "Especially now that I have a little brother to look out for."

Zane's smile was strained. "Yes."

"Well, I should probably let you go back to sleep."

"Yes. Goodnight, Jay."

Zane got up and headed back to his own bunk as Jay rolled over, clutching his golden weapon once again. "'Night, Zane." In moments, Jay was once again asleep. This time, he was much calmer.

Zane, meanwhile, lay awake, starting at the top of the bunk above him, suddenly feeling wide awake.


	3. Nya

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago.

Nya's turn. This one was hard. For some reason, I just couldn't find Nya's voice when I wrote the first draft. I hope I've managed to fix that up now, though. Also, I headcanon the characters being certain heights, and Zane is the tallest in my mind, so my writing this time around will reflect that. This one takes place shortly after Tick Tock, so be ready for feels. Lots and lots of feels.

Chapter Three: Nya

Nya wandered the Destiny's Bounty, looking for something to do. The ship was currently docked on a secluded mountain side as the ninja figured out what to do next in their search for the Fang Blades. The Bounty was in perfect working order. She had already run maintenance checks several times. She was bored, but she didn't feel like playing video games or watching television.

With a sigh, she walked out onto the deck of the ship, figuring she'd take in the scenery until inspiration struck. Once she was outside, she found she wasn't alone. Standing at the rail, falcon perched on his shoulder, was Zane. Nya didn't think he'd noticed her yet, and debated whether or not to bother him. He'd received quite a shock the other day, and she wasn't sure if he would appreciate her company at the moment.

Zane didn't notice her arrival, but his falcon did. When it swiveled its head to look at her, it drew Zane's attention as well and he turned to face her. The expression on his face shocked her. She wasn't used to seeing him in pain. Worried, hurt, or confused, perhaps, but not in pain. Finding his memories had, in a way, left him with more questions than answers, but given his unique situation, the others found it difficult to help.

Nya frowned as Zane quickly hid behind an agonizingly fake smile. "Hello, Nya," he said. "What brings you out here?"

"Hey, Zane," she replied. "Nothing much, really. Do you mind if I join you?"

She could see the emotions warring on his face even as he tried to hide them. She would understand if he said no, but it was clear that he didn't really know what he wanted.

"If you'd like," he said finally.

Zane turned back to the landscape as Nya joined him at the railing. The falcon tipped its head at her, fluttering its wings. She knew it shared a connection with Zane, and wondered if it was trying to tell her something. If it was, she wasn't getting the message.

The two stood in silence for quite a while before Nya finally spoke. "What are the others up to?"

Zane shrugged. "Last I saw, they were playing video games."

"Oh. You didn't feel like playing with them?"

"No."

Nya had never really tried to talk to Zane before, but she knew from observation that it could be difficult to get him to open up. She didn't want to come off as pushy, but she thought it might be a good idea to try to get him talking.

"Is something wrong, Zane? You seem upset."

Zane was silent for a long while. He wouldn't even look at Nya, keeping his gaze fixed on the horizon. The falcon shifted uneasily on his shoulder.

"Yes," he admitted finally. Nya waited, but he wouldn't elaborate.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

He shook his head slowly, and jumped as his falcon let out an irate sounding screech.

Nya couldn't help laughing. "I think he wants you to talk to me," she said.

Zane's brow knit in anger and confusion. "But I do not wish to."

"And that's okay. I'm not going to force you."

He studied her for a moment, the anger draining from his expression to be replaced by something else Nya couldn't quite put her finger on. Loneliness, perhaps? He turned away.

"I miss my father…" Zane said quietly.

"Oh." It wasn't at all what Nya wanted to say, but it was all that would come out. It was unfair that Zane had spent so much time searching for his missing memories only to find, once he found them, that the man who had created him had already passed away. Such was life, though, and there wasn't anything they could do about it.

Zane raised his hands, and Nya was surprised to see that they were trembling. "It's strange," he said, studying them, "all that time I spent searching, I never once suspected the truth. Even now, I find it hard to believe. My father built me to mimic a human as near as he could. I don't feel like a machine, though I know that I am. And now I know that with a single flip of a switch, I could once again lose everything that I hold dear…"

Zane trailed off, clenching and unclenching his fists, his hands still shaking, now worse than before. Slowly, he turned to face Nya. She was surprised once again, this time by the tears glistening in his eyes. She wanted to reach out and hug him, but before she could, he continued talking.

"My father told me he loved me with his dying breath and then stole my memories," he said, voice choked as tears began to stream down his cheeks unchecked. "Why would he do that, Nya? I do not understand."

"Oh, Zane…" Nya had to blink back tears from her own eyes as she stepped forward, pulling Zane into a hug after all. He didn't fight it, but being so much taller, he rested his head on hers as he started to cry bitterly. The falcon let out a quiet chirp and fluttered over to the railing, watching the situation with curiosity.

Nya wasn't sure how long they stood there before Zane's sobbing began to wane. She let go as she felt him begin to straighten up, bringing up a hand to wipe at his eyes. She wasn't surprised to find that he didn't seem at all embarrassed about the situation.

Tired of standing, she gestured to the deck and asked, "Why don't we sit down and talk?"

Zane agreed with a nod and the two sat down, leaning back against the rails. The falcon bounced over until it was standing over Zane's head. It leaned over to peck affectionately at his hair. A small, genuine smile cut through the pain on his face.

Nya watched Zane lift his arm to ruffle the falcon's feathers. She didn't want to interrupt his brief instant of happiness, so she waited several moments before speaking again. She knew what she was going to say next was probably going to hurt.

"Zane," she said, and waited for his full attention before continuing. "I can't answer your question. I didn't know your father, so I can only guess what his reasons were. Honestly, though? It sounds like he was trying to spare you the pain of losing him in the first place."

Zane mulled that over. "Having experienced things from both sides, I actually prefer having my memories, even if they are sad. Not knowing at all was much more difficult to bear."

"I can only imagine what that must have been like. To be frank, it makes me glad to know that my parents are gone, and that Kai and I weren't burdened with questions about what happened to them."

"It is preferable to be sure I am an orphan rather than be an amnesiac, yes. Being able to remember my father is better than not knowing him at all." Zane paused, frowning. "Do you think he realised what he was doing to me when he switched off my memories?"

"Of course not, Zane! I mean, it's clear that he loved you. I doubt he would have done this if he'd known how much it would hurt you. He must have had your best interests at heart, but he didn't realise exactly what he was doing."

"He caused me so much unhappiness with that one decision … but I would still give almost anything to be able to see him again." Zane paused and fixed Nya with a worried expression. "Is that normal?"

"Perfectly," she replied with a smile. "Take it from someone who knows. It'll get easier as time goes by, but you'll never stop missing him."

Zane nodded slowly, but didn't reply. He held out his arm and the falcon flew down to perch on it once again. He watched as it preened its feathers – feathers that looked as real as his skin, though both were in fact some kind of facsimile – and wondered how Dr. Julien had done it. He and his falcon were two of a kind; there was nothing else in Ninjago like them.

"Thanks, Nya," Zane said finally.

"Hey, what are friends for, right?" Nya replied with a smile.

It was at this moment that the other ninja came barrelling out onto the deck, laughing and talking animatedly about the round of video games they'd been playing. The laughter died down when they spotted Zane and Nya, but the atmosphere remained cheerful.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Jay. "Whatcha doing?"

As she and Zane stood, Nya noticed that Zane's expression had become carefully blank and closed off. It bothered her, but she supposed it made sense. Just because she'd managed to get him to open up once didn't mean that he would be so willing to talk forever after. Still, she hoped he would learn from their chat and let his friends in a bit more in the future.


	4. Cole

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago.

Cole! Yay! This was actually the first chapter I wrote in this mess, but it's fourth in the chronology, so it goes here. Takes place during The Royal Blacksmiths. I just imagine there was some travel time between deciding to head to Cole's dad's place and when they actually arrived there, so that's where this fits in. The conversation Cole and Zane ended up having is what sparked the idea to turn this into a chaptered story. Originally, it was just an excuse to write a story about Cole reading certain types of books. Hee.

Also, this is the last chapter I already had written. Updates are going to slow down now since I still have to write the next three. The epilogue is already done, but I can't post that yet for obvious reasons.

Chapter Four: Cole

He wasn't sure how late it was. The sun had set hours ago, and yet here he was, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He sat up and glanced about at the others, all of whom seemed to be sleeping peacefully. A small smile crossed his face when he noticed that, even in his sleep, Kai tended to scowl. Perhaps not all of them were peaceful after all.

Leaning over the side of his bunk, he checked up on Jay. The blue ninja was shuffling and muttering something in his sleep. He wasn't sure when Jay had started sleeping with his golden weapon, but it was cute in a strange way. He wasn't about to tell anyone he thought that, however.

Shaking his head, he turned to regard Zane. The white ninja was always a little odd, but the recent discovery of his origins explained quite a bit of his bizarre behaviour. He wasn't sure if Zane even needed to sleep, or if he just did it because it made him seem more human.

With a sigh, Cole pulled his attention away from the others, laying back down in an attempt to claim sleep. Five minutes passed, then ten, then half an hour before he finally gave up. Rolling carefully out of bed so as not to wake the others, Cole proceeded to leave the bedroom. At least, he thought he managed to get out without being noticed.

Zane opened one eye, watching Cole leave. Sitting up, he cocked his head in curiosity.

X X X

The Destiny's Bounty rocked gently in the night breeze, gliding along on autopilot towards Cole's hometown. Luckily for Cole, it wasn't rough enough to trigger his motion sickness. Either way, it didn't really matter. He made his way to the upper deck after retrieving a small pack from his secret hiding place. Secret because, if Jay ever found out what he kept in it, he would never hear the end of it.

Climbing onto the roof above the Bounty's cockpit, Cole sat down cross legged and, for a moment, looked about at the scenery in the bright moonlight. It was hard to believe all the trouble going on in the world when everything was currently so calm.

He grew bored of the view quickly, and reached into his bag, pulling out a book. Locating his bookmark, he flipped it open and proceeded to read by the glow of the moon.

"What are you doing, Cole?"

"Agh!"

The sudden question startled him so much he nearly unbalanced and fell off the roof, dropping his book. After taking a few seconds to calm his racing heart, he turned towards the source of the question. Zane stood on the deck, looking up at him with an expression of sheepishness.

"Sorry, I did not mean to startle you."

"S'okay." Cole shook his head, a crooked smile crossing his face. "Man, you're made of metal. How is it that you can be so quiet?"

Missing the joke entirely, Zane shrugged. Cole couldn't help chuckling. No matter what, Zane would always be Zane, he was sure of it. He gestured to Zane to join him, the white ninja taking him up on the offer. A moment later, the two sat in silence on the roof.

"You never answered my question," said Zane eventually.

"Oh, yeah." Cole stared up at the stars, thinking over his reply. "Couldn't sleep," he said finally.

"Is that all?"

Cole studied Zane for a moment. Was he just imagining the accusing tone in the white ninja's voice? Zane wasn't that perceptive, was he?

 _Don't be stupid._ Cole thought to himself. _Of course he is!_ "If you really must know, I'm not looking forward to tomorrow," he said aloud.

"Why is that? Do you not wish to see your father?" Zane sounded legitimately curious, and it made Cole feel bad. He knew Zane would love another chance to talk to his own father, but the old man had passed away a while ago. He supposed Zane couldn't understand giving up a chance like that while he still had it.

Cole sighed. "I do, it's just … I've been lying to him for so long. He's going to be so angry."

"So you are scared."

"What?! No! Well, maybe. Look, I love my dad, really. But…" Cole paused to think for a moment. "Look at it this way. Do you remember ever disappointing your father?"

Zane had to stop and think about it. After a while, he nodded slowly. "Yes, actually. I had left the house on my own without permission once, and gotten lost. Thinking back on it now, I was lucky that my falcon found me and led me home before I attracted the attention of the treehorns. I could have been destroyed." He stared out across the landscape, and Cole had the distinct impression that he was looking towards the Birchwood forest. "Father was very angry with me. He'd been worried, but he was relieved that I was okay."

"I imagine you felt terrible about letting him down like that. So can you understand now why I'm not looking forward to this reunion?"

"Yes, I believe I can." Zane looked over to Cole, his expression a mix of seriousness and worry. "I know it is not really my place to tell you what you should and should not do, but I believe this could be a chance for you to set things right. Perhaps you aren't following in his footsteps as he would have wished, but surely he would be proud of you for what you have accomplished?"

Cole looked away. "Yeah, well, you don't know my dad."

"No, I suppose not."

The conversation seemed to just stop, leaving behind an awkward silence. Cole fiddled with his hands as Zane looked about. Neither of them knew what to say next.

Eventually, Zane spotted the book Cole had dropped earlier. Leaning forward, he picked it up. His intention was to return it to Cole, but then the cover caught his eye. Raising an eyebrow, he studied the image. A shirtless man was embracing a woman, her long hair blowing in a breeze against the backdrop of a sunset on a tropical island.

Confused, he held the book out to Cole. "What is this?"

Cole's reaction left him even more confused. The black ninja let out a strange, strangled squawk and snatched the book from Zane's hand, his face turning bright red. "Nothing, never mind!"

Suddenly, memories clicked into place in Zane's head, and he knew what he'd been looking at. "That was a romance novel, wasn't it? I didn't know you liked romance stories."

Cole sighed. There was no denying it now. "Well, I do. Just, don't tell the others, alright? Especially not Jay. He'd never shut up about it."

"Of course. Though I don't understand how it's something to be ashamed of."

Cole couldn't help snorting. "Tell Jay something you'd rather no one knows, and then you'll understand."

"I don't think I'd want to do that," said Zane. A small smile crossed his face. "I believe I see what you mean."

"Good." Cole yawned before packing his book away into its bag. "I think it's time for me to try to get some sleep. Goodnight, Zane."

With that, Cole leapt from the roof to the deck and headed below. Zane watched him go before turning to watch the stars.


	5. Lord Garmadon

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago.

Guess who! That's right, folks, it's Lord Garmadon! Betcha didn't see that one coming. I had to, though. I wanted to try my hand at writing the master troll, so he gets a chapter in this fic. Also, I've referenced The Choice from the Scholastic book Zane: Ninja of Ice, so if you don't know what they're talking about at the beginning, that would be why. (Go read that book. It's good.) I don't know if it's considered canon to the show, but either way, I couldn't help myself. This chapter takes place at some point during The Green Ninja. I know it's a little short, but I hope you still like it.

Chapter Five: Lord Garmadon

Zane watched as Nya dragged Kai off into the ship's bridge for possibly the third time in as many hours.

"I'm still watching you! You'll slip up eventually and when you do, that's when I'll pounce!" Kai shouted. His sister sighed and rolled her eyes, giving him another yank until he was out of sight. Lord Garmadon, the target of Kai's outrage, simply chuckled at the young man's bravado.

Zane turned to the dark lord, shaking his head. "Perhaps you could stop taunting him? I fear if this continues, someone could get hurt." He didn't say aloud that he believed it would be Kai.

"Hmm?" Lord Garmadon in turn spun to face Zane. A wicked grin split his face. "I remember you. You're the one with no past. How's that working out for you?"

"Quite well, actually. I have found my memories, no thanks to you," Zane replied, crossing his arms and frowning.

"Oh, come now. I was only trying to help." Garmadon crossed his two lower arms behind his back while spreading his upper ones in a show of good faith. "Didn't you like my story? I wrote it just for you."

"I'm not even human. Did you ever actually know anything about my past?"

"Honestly?" replied Garmadon. "Not really. You weren't of interest to me until my brother took you in."

"I see." Zane fell silent, a wary eye on the dark lord.

Garmadon smirked. "If you'd like, you can still join me anytime you wish. I may not have my shadow ninja anymore, but it would still be pretty funny to steal one of Wu's students."

"No, thank you," Zane replied curtly. "I will help you rescue Lloyd, but then our dealings will be concluded."

"You're no fun," Garmadon grumped. The dark lord turned, walking across the deck of the Bounty to the railing, grasping at it with his lower hands. His upper arms crossed against his chest as he looked out over Ninjago. Zane assumed their conversation was concluded and turned to go. He stopped as Lord Garmadon spoke once more.

"Have you ever wanted to be a parent, boy?"

Zane turned back, studying Garmadon for a moment before replying. "I have never really thought about it, no. Though I don't believe I am capable of such a thing, given that I am a robot."

"Pff. There are more ways to become a parent than just fathering a child. I mean, take you for example. Your father's son, yet, as you say yourself, you are a robot."

Zane narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at?" He completely missed the fact that Garmadon had basically just admitted to lying about having knowledge of his past.

"Oh, nothing much. Just making conversation." Garmadon turned to face Zane, still grinning. "What do you think of my son, anyway?"

Zane couldn't help feeling that Garmadon was somehow working an angle with his questions. He had no idea what the dark lord was trying to do, though. Maybe it really was nothing, but just the same, it didn't feel right.

"He's a good kid," Zane replied. "Nothing like his father."

Lord Garmadon laughed. Zane took an involuntary step back as he approached, but all Garmadon did was slap him on the back with both right hands, nearly knocking him over.

"Clever. I like you." Garmadon chuckled. "I heard that Lloyd is quite the troublemaker. Sounds like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Makes a father proud, you know?"

"Only you could be proud of a misbehaving son."

The dark lord laughed again. "My, you are a funny one. What is misbehaving but a child doing something you don't want them to? Why would I see my son trying to emulate me as a bad thing?"

"Well, you can see for yourself the situation it's gotten him into. Releasing the Serpentine has caused nothing but trouble."

Garmadon seemed to consider this for a moment. "Yes, I suppose that is true, but still, I'm proud of my boy. It takes guts to do what he did."

Zane's expression softened. "You really do care about your son, don't you?"

Garmadon scowled. "Of course I do. What kind of father would I be otherwise?"

"An evil one?"

Lord Garmadon stared at Zane for a moment before throwing his head back and roaring with laughter. Zane was perplexed; was what he'd said really that funny?

"I can see why Wu keeps you around," Garmadon said once he'd calmed down enough to speak again. "You're the team comedian."

"I believe you are thinking of Jay, actually."

Garmadon waved a hand in the air, dismissing what Zane said. "Either way, Lloyd's been in good hands, it seems. It really is a shame that I'll have to destroy you all eventually."

Zane thought about telling Garmadon that he could always give up his evil ways and become good, but decided not to. He was well aware of the reason for his evilness in the first place, and knew it would be a pointless waste of time.

"You should try harder to be a good father. For Lloyd's sake. He misses you, you know," he said instead.

Zane expected Lord Garmadon to laugh again, or at least reply with something flippant. Instead, the dark lord fixed Zane with an unexpected expression of surprise. It quickly soured.

"Yes, well, we can't always get what we want, can we?"

With that, Lord Garmadon turned and stalked away, leaving Zane to wonder just how he had managed to make him so mad.


	6. Lloyd

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago.

So… sticking the two most closed off characters together and trying to get them to talk is hard. This chapter feels a little different from the others due to that, at least in my opinion. I dunno. I tried. Forgot to mention that this takes place after All Of Nothing.

Chapter Six: Lloyd

The party, after going on for a couple hours, was now winding down. Wu had already gone to bed earlier after telling the others not to stay up too late. Everyone was cleaning up before going to bed. They would need their sleep for the big day tomorrow.

Zane was tucking in chairs when he found Lloyd, passed out under the table. He had thought the boy had wandered off to bed a while ago, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Getting down on his hands and knees, he carefully extricated the boy, trying not to wake him. Standing, he cradled Lloyd to his chest. The boy stirred and mumbled something, but didn't wake.

Kai peered over. "So that's where the little runt got off to. Want me to take him?"

Zane shook his head. "No, it's okay. I've got him."

Kai nodded and went back to what he'd been doing as Zane left the bridge, heading for Lloyd's bedroom. He paused for a moment before heading below deck and glanced to the sky. It was a bit difficult to tell, since it was already dark out, but the clouds seemed threatening. It looked like they were flying into some rain.

He felt a drop spatter against his face and hurried downstairs. As he reached Lloyd's bedroom, a bolt of lightning split the sky. The room was lit up bright as day for a brief second. Moments later, thunder boomed in response. Zane felt Lloyd start in his arms, awakened by the noise.

As far as Zane knew, Lloyd wasn't afraid of thunderstorms, so his reaction was surprising. Lloyd dug his hands into Zane's gi, burying his face in his shoulder, trembling and trying not to cry. Zane didn't know what to do. He awkwardly patted Lloyd on the back until the boy calmed down.

"I'm sorry," sniffled Lloyd, wiping at his nose.

Zane set him down on his bed before replying. "It's okay. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think so…" Lloyd was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, he wouldn't meet Zane's eyes, looking anywhere but at the ninja. "Could you maybe… go get my dad for me?"

Zane blinked. "Um, Lord Garmadon left earlier. Have you forgotten?" he replied, not unkindly.

"No. I just thought maybe…" Lloyd trailed off, frowning. "Oh, I don't know what I thought!"

"I will take a guess. You were hoping I would go out, find him and bring him home to you."

"Yeah, kinda, I guess," replied Lloyd. His expression became cross. "It's not fair! Why do I have to fight my dad? Why can't you and the others do it?"

Zane sat down next to Lloyd and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I wish we could take the responsibility from you, but that's not how destiny works. Sons and fathers shouldn't have to fight each other, but I don't think we have much say in the matter."

"You'll help me, though, right?"

Zane smiled. "Of course. No matter what else happens, you won't be alone in this battle."

"Thanks, Zane."

The two were interrupted when Zane's falcon suddenly swooped into the room. Zane held out his arm for the bird to land on, his expression confused. Usually, the falcon avoided flying below deck, it being too cramped for much manoeuvring. Whatever had brought it here must be important.

Landing, the falcon started to squawk urgently, dancing nervously about on Zane's arm. Zane raised an eyebrow and patted the falcon to try to calm it down. It fixed him with a look of irritation, but stopped shuffling.

"What's the matter, Zane?" asked Lloyd.

"I don't know," Zane replied. "I have never seen him so agitated before." He turned to the falcon. "What seems to be the problem, my friend?"

The falcon let out a screech and flew back out the door.

"I think he wants you to follow him," said Lloyd. "Can I come, too?" The boy looked up at Zane, an eager expression on his face, as though he thought this could be some kind of adventure.

Zane was unsure. He didn't know what the falcon had found, but at the same time, Lloyd was the Green Ninja, destined to defeat Lord Garmadon. In the end, he nodded. "All right, but stay close. We don't know what we're dealing with."

The falcon flew back into the room with an angry cry. Zane and Lloyd quickly followed as it left once more. It led them on a merry chase around the Bounty for several minutes, growing more and more irate as they found nothing. Eventually, Zane stopped and held out his arm, whistling to it. The robot bird landed on his arm, but it wasn't happy about it. It practically paced up and down Zane's arm, snapping its beak angrily.

"I'm sorry, friend, but I don't understand what it is you wish to show us," Zane told it.

The falcon stopped pacing and glared at Zane for a moment. Then it nipped at his ear and flew away, presumably to go calm down somewhere by itself. Zane rubbed at his ear as he watched the falcon leave, an injured look on his face.

"Why do you let him do that to you?" Lloyd asked. "You should better train your pet."

Zane blinked at Lloyd. "He is not my pet. He is family."

"Family? What do you mean? It's just a robot bird."

Zane didn't believe Lloyd meant any harm by what he said, but it still stung. Lloyd noticed Zane's reaction and realised that what he'd said had been unintentionally hurtful.

"I'm sorry, Zane. I didn't mean it like that," he said.

"It's all right." Zane was silent for a moment, thinking about how best to phrase what he wanted to say next. "The falcon and I are connected by bonds beyond those of master and pet. We were constructed by similar means by the same person. In a way, we are brothers." Zane paused, looking sheepish. "Though sometimes, I admit, I forget that myself and still refer to him as 'my' falcon. He nips me a lot."

Lloyd chuckled and then followed it up with a yawn. "I think I understand," he replied. "I also think I should probably get to bed now."

Zane smiled. "Most likely. I, too, should probably get some sleep."

With that, the two left the storage room they'd ended up in and headed off to their respective beds. Once they were gone, a figure shimmered and appeared from thin air.

"I thought those two would never leave," grumbled Pythor, and he went about his business, setting up for his plan.


	7. Sensei Wu

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago.

This is it. The chapter that attempts to tie everything together. Whether or not it works, well, you get to decide. I have no freaking clue. Eep. Anyway, this takes place shortly after the end of Day of the Great Devourer. (The epilogue needs tweaking before I post it, so it'll probably go up sometime tomorrow.)

Chapter Seven: Sensei Wu

The group slowly walked through the streets of Ninjago City, surveying the damage caused by the Great Devourer's attack. It was a pretty sobering sight; even Jay couldn't find a joke to lighten the mood.

"Just think how much worse this could have been if we hadn't found a way to stop that snake," said Kai.

"I dunno," replied Jay. "It looks pretty bad now."

"We should pitch in and help clean up," said Cole. He leaned over to pick up some debris from the street. Straightening up, he pitched it overhand into a nearby dumpster.

"Hey, nice shot, Cole!" said Lloyd. The boy picked up a piece of rubble and tried to imitate the older ninja, but his shot went wide. Cole patted him on the head as he frowned and crossed his arms in a huff.

"Nice try, kiddo," Cole said with a grin. Everyone laughed.

Everyone, that was, except Zane. The white ninja seemed distracted, lost in thought. His expression, though subtle, was morose. The falcon was riding on his shoulder, pecking at his hair in what seemed to be an attempt to cheer him up, but Zane didn't appear to notice.

"Zane? Hey, Zane!"

He didn't hear the voice, too lost in his own world. He was snapped back to reality as someone grabbed him by the back of his gi, preventing him from continuing forward. Blinking, he turned to find Nya standing behind him. He was about to speak, but she beat him to it.

"You were about to walk into that big hole," she explained, pointing out the large crack in the pavement.

"Oh," he replied. "Thank you for stopping me."

Looking around, Zane noticed that the others had already run off. He could see Cole moving large pieces of rubble from the street as Kai directed traffic around him. He couldn't see where Lloyd or Jay had gotten to, but imagined they were helping out, as well.

Nya smiled at Zane, though she seemed concerned, before turning to join the others. Zane was about to follow when the last of the group placed his hand on Zane's falcon-free shoulder, stopping him once more.

"Yes, Sensei?" he asked, turning to the old man.

Sensei Wu didn't respond right away, instead holding out a teacup to the nindroid. "Tea?" he asked.

Zane couldn't help remembering that Sensei Wu's teapot had, only hours ago, been in the gullet of the Great Devourer. He shook his head. "No, thank you."

Wu shrugged. "Suit yourself." He poured himself a cup and took a sip. "Walk with me, Zane."

The two began to stroll through the streets once more, careful of the holes, debris and puddles of green slime. Wu continued to sip at his tea as the minutes passed. Zane grew increasingly anxious, wondering why Sensei had singled him out. He didn't want to ask, though, and so waited for Wu to continue on his own. Eventually, the old man spoke.

"You seem nervous, Zane. Is there some secret you are keeping that I or the others should know about?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? No," Zane replied, taken off guard by the question. "I am just confused as to why we are here."

"I see." Sensei Wu took another sip of tea. "You are distracted. Something bothers you, does it not?"

"I …" Zane trailed off, staring hard at the ground, looking for all the world like he was ashamed of something. "Yes, Sensei."

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Zane shook his head, still not meeting Wu's eyes. "No, Sensei."

"Hmm." Wu walked over and held out his arm to Zane's falcon. Confused, the bird studied the proffered perch for a moment before hopping on. Wu drew the falcon closer and whispered something in its ear. Afterwards, he held out his arm and let the falcon fly away.

"Hey!" exclaimed Zane, surprised by the unexpected action.

Wu studied Zane levelly. "We are alone now. No one will know of our conversation if you do not wish it. You may talk freely."

Zane felt hunted. He knew Sensei would keep his promise and not tell the others, but it wasn't something he really wanted to tell Wu about in the first place. He looked away, remaining silent.

"What is it that you are so afraid of?" Wu asked. His tone was soft, his expression worried.

Zane felt something knot in what passed for his gut, an almost painful pressure brought on by his feelings of inadequacy. He didn't like it, not one bit. When he though about it, he realised that it felt worse hiding from Sensei than it did to just worry about what he had done wrong. If it would relieve the pain, then perhaps it would be best to tell the truth, after all.

"I failed the team, Sensei …" he said at last.

Wu's expression was mildly surprised. "Oh? How do you figure?"

Zane fiddled with his hands as he replied. "I'm equipped with so many sensors and scanners; I should have been able to keep track of Lord Garmadon with ease. And yet, he got away with the weapons … I could have even had my falcon follow him, but it just never occurred to me … I'm afraid the others resent me for it."

Wu let out a sigh, a small smile crossing his face. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean, 'Is that all'?" Zane's voice cracked as he replied, laden with shock.

Sensei Wu put a hand on his shoulder, still smiling. "It is all right, Zane. Please, calm down."

Zane studied Wu for a moment. The knot of anxiety didn't leave him, but he didn't know what else to say, instead waiting to see if Sensei would explain himself.

"Honestly, I expected something like this more from Cole than from you." Wu stroked his beard thoughtfully before continuing. "You have done nothing wrong, Zane."

"But I –"

"No buts. Zane, the others are not going to blame you for letting Garmadon escape."

"How do you know that?" asked Zane, a desperate tinge to his voice. "I am capable of so much more than any of them in terms of –"

"Zane, stop." Wu's voice was hard as the old man frowned at the panicking nindroid. Zane did as he was told, but the panic was still clear on his face. Wu sighed before continuing. "Have the others been treating you differently since discovering your true potential?"

The question wasn't quite what Zane expected, and it served to calm him down somewhat as he grew confused. "Not really, no. I mean, not beyond anything expected."

"Then why do you believe they would treat you any differently now?"

"I don't follow …"

"Come." Wu led Zane to a nearby bench that, luckily, wasn't coated in the remains of the Great Devourer. He sat down and poured himself yet another cup of tea as Zane joined him. The two spent some time in silence watching the citizens of the city clean up and prepare to rebuild.

"To tell you the truth, Zane," Wu said eventually, "I was worried at first that you wouldn't fit in with the others, and that it would cause trouble for the team. I was right not to give up on you, however. You have since found your place, and the team functions all the better for it." Wu paused to smile at him. "We have, you four ninja, Lloyd, Nya and myself, and even your falcon, become a tightly knit family. You are, admittedly, a rather unusual addition to it, but you are no more or less than any of your brothers despite the differences. You are not defined by what you are made of physically, but who you are mentally. We do not think of you as 'the robot'. You are Zane, and you are as human as any of the rest of us. Do you understand?"

Zane was silent for a long while, mulling over what Sensei said. He understood what Wu was trying to tell him, but he wasn't sure if he believed all of it. It sounded good, it really did, and he wished he could believe it, but there was something about it that struck him as untrue. Still, he didn't want to disappoint Sensei. It was wrong of him, he knew, but he opted to lie, even if only by omission.

"I understand, Sensei."

Wu watched him for a minute. Zane got the distinct impression that the old man wasn't fooled at all. Eventually, Wu fixed him with a small smile.

"Don't worry about Garmadon escaping, Zane. The others won't resent you for it. Trust me; they're all too busy blaming themselves for not doing more to focus on you, okay?"

That actually made Zane feel a little better. He nodded, smiling back. "Thank you, Sensei. Um …" He trailed off for a second, looking around as if searching for something. "May I go now? I'd like to help with the clean up effort."

"Of course, Zane."

Zane gave Wu a small bow before standing up and walking off. Wu stayed on the bench, sipping at his tea. He frowned, shaking his head sadly.

"I worry about you, Zane."


	8. Epilogue

Author's Note/Disclaimer: Still don't own Ninjago.

So, Dareth gets the epilogue. I have this whole idea in my head about his past, this is just a glimpse at it. Occurs at some point after Ninjaball Run but before Child's Play. (It should be clear by now that I have no idea what I'm doing. Whee!)

Epilogue

Zane didn't really know where the other ninja had taken Lloyd, as he'd opted to stay behind. For reasons he didn't really understand, he felt like he ought to be here, at the Mojo Dojo, instead.

Standing off to the side, he watched Dareth, the dojo's owner and "grand" sensei, practice. The others wrote the man off as a sad joke, but Zane didn't see him that way. Not exactly, anyway.

It was true that Dareth wasn't in the best shape considering his chosen profession; he'd even admitted to being a outright fraud. However, Zane could read in his movements the telltale signs of a greater skill he'd once possessed. Dareth could have at one time been a passable fighter, if not a great one, but for reasons Zane didn't understand, the man had clearly let himself go and chose to lie about his history.

Zane wanted to ask why, almost needed to know, but didn't know how to broach the subject. He barely knew Dareth; they'd only been borrowing his dojo for a couple of weeks. It didn't feel right to ask him such a personal question.

Zane's eyes strayed to the display of fake trophies Dareth seemed so proud of. That confused Zane. He didn't understand why Dareth would readily admit that the trophies weren't real, and yet take such great stock in them.

Dareth wasn't really paying Zane any attention, so Zane made his way over to the display and began to study it. The trophies all seemed to bear Dareth's name; it was plastered everywhere. Zane found himself wondering if there were any real ones hiding amongst the fakes, but if there were, he wouldn't have been able to tell, anyway.

His eye caught on something and he stopped. One of the trophies didn't say Dareth. Instead, it held a different name, Vance. None of Dareth's current crop of students went by that name as far as Zane knew. Without thinking, he spoke up.

"Dareth?"

Dareth finished poorly executing a spinning strike before replying. "Yeah?"

"Who is Vance?"

Dareth froze. Zane had never seen the man react like this, and began to regret his question. After a moment, Dareth waved his hand dismissively.

"Never you mind about that. Now, if you'll excuse me," he said before hastily fleeing the room.

Zane stood there, blinking in confusion and worry. What was that all about?

 **The End**


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